Polish songs (Chopin)

Although Frédéric Chopin is best known for his works for piano solo, among his extant output are 19 songs
for voice and piano, set to Polish texts.

Contents
Background
Texts
Recordings
Arrangements
List of Polish songs by Chopin
Chopin at 25, by Maria
References
Wodzińska, 1835
External links

Background
Chopin wrote these songs at various times, from perhaps as early as 1827 when he was 17, to 1847, two years before his death. Only two of
them were published in his lifetime (Życzenie and Wojak were published in Kiev in 1837 and 1839 respectively).[1][2]

In 1857 the 17 then known songs were collected for publication by Julian Fontana as Op. 74, but they were not arranged in chronological
order of composition within that opus. Due to censorship restrictions, he was only able to publish 16 of them initially. These appeared in
Warsaw as Zbiór śpiewów polskich Fryderyka Chopina (A Collection of Polish Songs by Frédéric Chopin), published by Gebethner &
Wolff; and in Berlin as 16 Polnische Lieder, published by A M Schlesinger. The 17th song, Śpiew z mogiłki (Hymn from the Tomb) was
published separately in Berlin with a French title, Chant du tombeau.[3]

A further two songs were published in 1910. Some references now include all 19 published songs in Op. 74.

Chopin is known to have written a number of other songs that are now lost. Some extant songs have been attributed to Chopin but are now
considered spurious or doubtful.

Texts
All but one of the texts of the Chopin songs were original poems by his Polish contemporaries, with most of whom he was personally
acquainted. The sole exception is Piosnka litewska (A Lithuanian Song), which was set to a Polish translation by Ludwik Osiński of a
Lithuanian song.

Ten of them are by a friend of Chopin’s family, Stefan Witwicki, from his Piosnki Sielskie (Idylls, 1830). (Chopin also dedicated his
Mazurkas, Op. 41, to Witwicki.) Three were by Józef Bohdan Zaleski. Two were by Adam Mickiewicz. Wincenty Pol's revolutionary Songs
of Janusz (1836) inspired Chopin to write up to a dozen songs, but only one survives. Zygmunt Krasiński, the lover of Delfina Potocka, was
another poet who inspired Chopin to write a song.[3]

The songs have been translated into over a dozen languages. Various English titles have been applied to some of the songs.

Recordings
Those who have recorded the 17 songs of Op. 74, or all 19 known songs, include:

Elisabeth Söderström with Vladimir Ashkenazy[4]

Leyla Gencer with Nikita Magaloff
Stefania Toczyska with Janusz Olejniczak
Teresa Żylis-Gara with Halina Czerny-Stefańska
Eugenia Zareska with Giorgio Favaretto
Stefania Woytowicz and Andrzej Bachleda with Wanda Klimowicz
Françoise Ogéas with Eva Osinska
Maria Kurenko with Robert Hufstader
Urszula Kryger with Charles Spencer.[3]
 H Januszewska with M Drewnowski
Joanna Kozłowska with Waldemar Malicki, CDAccord ACD051 (1999)
Elżbieta Szmytka with Malcolm Martineau (1999)
Ewa Podleś with Garrick Ohlsson
Aleksandra Kurzak, soprano, and Mariusz Kwiecień, baritone, accompanied by Nelson Goerner ([Link]
itute/publications/musics/id/1105) (all 19 songs, recorded in Warsaw in 2009 and issued by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute)
Olga Pasichnyk with Natalya Pasichnyk (2009)
Mario Hacquard, baritone and Anna Zassimova, piano (French version by Victor Wilder - Recorded in Karlsruhe with a
piano by Sebastien Erard - 2017)
Chopin Lieder Op. 74 ([Link] produced by Elegia
Classics ([Link] 2018 with Dominika Zamara sopran and Franco Moro piano

Other singers have recorded selected songs.

Arrangements
Chopin himself arranged the piano part of Wiosna as a piece for piano alone, Andantino in G minor, B. 117. There exist five manuscript
versions of this arrangement, dated between April 1838 and 1 September 1848.

Between 1847 and 1860, Chopin's friend Franz Liszt arranged six of the Op. 74 songs as piano transcriptions under the title Six Chants
polonais, S.480, a set which has long been a concert and recording favourite. The six are:

1. Mädchens Wunsch (No. 1: Życzenie – The Wish)

2. Frühling (No. 2: Wiosna – Spring)
3. Das Ringlein (No. 14: Pierścień – The Ring), which leads without a break into ...
4. Bacchanal (No. 4: Hulanka – Merrymaking)
5. Meine Freuden (No. 12: Moja pieszczotka – My Darling)
6. Heimkehr (No. 15: Narzeczony – The Bridegroom).

In this arrangement, Das Ringlein leads without a break into Bacchanal, and towards the end of the latter song, immediately before the
coda, Liszt includes a short 6-bar reprise of the earlier song.

List of Polish songs by Chopin

 Polish English Date Opus Other
Alternative
No. Text by[1] Published[1] catalogue Key Notes
title[1] translation[1] title(s) composed[1] no.[1]
nos.
Franz Liszt
used this
melody as
No. 2
(Mélodie
polonaise) of
his Glanes de
Woronince,
S.249 (1847);
Liszt also
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
1837, Kiev; No. 1 of his
A Maiden's A Young Stefan WN 21, B. G
1. Życzenie c. 1829 later 1857, 74/1 Six Chants
wish Girl's Wish Witwicki 33 major
Berlin polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860);
Chopin also
used a motif
from the song
in his
posthumous
Nocturne in
C-sharp
minor, Lento
con gran
espressione[5]
Chopin
rewrote the
piano part as
Andantino, B.
117; there
exist 5
manuscripts
of this
arrangement,
dated
between April
G 1838 and
2. Wiosna Spring - Witwicki 1838 1857, Berlin 74/2 B. 116
minor 1 September
1848; Franz
Liszt also
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
No. 2 of his
Six Chants
polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860)
The
Smutna Troubled Mournful F-sharp
3. Witwicki 1831 1857, Berlin 74/3 B. 63/1
rzeka Waters Stream, minor
Sad River
Franz Liszt
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
WN 32, B. No. 4 of his
4. Hulanka Drinking Song - Witwicki August 1830 1857, Berlin 74/4 C major
50 Six Chants
polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860)
A Maiden’s
Love, A WN 22, B.
5. Gdzie lubi A Fickle Maid Witwicki c. 1829 1857, Berlin 74/5 A major
Girl’s 32
Desire
A Leave-
Precz z Adam WN 33, B.
6. Remembrance taking, Out 1830 1857, Berlin 74/6 F minor
moich oczu Mickiewicz 48
of my sight
The The WN 30, B.
7. Poseł Witwicki 1830 1857, Berlin 74/7 D major
Messenger Message 50
8. Śliczny Handsome Charming Józef 1841 1857, Berlin 74/8 B. 143 D major
chłopiec Lad Lad; My Bohdan
Beloved Zaleski
Elegy;
Zygmunt
9. Melodia Melody Lamento; 1847 1857, Berlin 74/9 B. 165 E minor
Krasiński
Onward
1839, Kiev;
Before the WN 34, B. A-flat
10. Wojak The Warrior Witwicki 1830 later 1857, 74/10
Battle 47 major
Berlin
The
Twofold
End; The
Two
Dwojaki The Double-
11. Corpses; Zaleski 1845 1857, Berlin 74/11 B. 156/1 D minor
koniec End
Death's
Divisions;
United in
Death
Franz Liszt
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
Moja My Joys; G-flat No. 5 of his
12. My Darling Mickiewicz 1837 1857, Berlin 74/12 B. 112
pieszczotka My Delight major Six Chants
polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860)
Faded and A simpler
Nie ma Vanished; version was
I Want What I
13. czego Melancholy; Zaleski 1845 1857, Berlin 74/13 B. 156/2 A minor published in
Have Not
trzeba Lack of 1910 as
Light Dumka
Chopin wrote
this song into
the album of
Maria
Wodzińska, to
whom he had
just become
betrothed;[5]
8 September E-flat Franz Liszt
14. Pierścień The Ring - Witwicki 1857, Berlin 74/14 B. 103 also
1836 major
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
No. 3 of his
Six Chants
polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860)
Franz Liszt
transcribed
the song for
piano solo as
The The Return
WN 40, B. No. 6 of his
15. Narzeczony Bridegroom's Home, The Witwicki 1831 1857, Berlin 74/15 C minor
63/2 Six Chants
return Betrothed
polonais,
S.480
(composed
1847-1860)
Translated
trans.
Piosnka Lithuanian WN 38, B. from a
16. - Ludwik 1830 (1831)? 1857, Berlin 74/16 F major
litewska Song 63/3 Lithuanian
Osiński
folk song
Śpiew z Leaves are Wincenty WN 49, B. E-flat
17. Poland's Dirge 8 May 1836 1857, Berlin 74/17
mogiły falling Pol 101 minor
Sometimes
included in
Op. 74; this is
Dirge; Mist
25 March 22 October B. 132, an earlier,
- Dumka Reverie Before My Zaleski (74/19)? A minor
1840 1910, Lwów [Link]/9 simpler
Eyes
version of Nie
ma czego
trzeba.
- Czary Witchcraft - Witwicki 1830 (?) 1910, (74/18)? WN 31, B. D minor Sometimes
 Leipzig 51, included in
[Link]/11 Op. 74; the
1910
publication
was of a
facsimile
reproduction
of an album
Chopin had
sent to Maria
Wodzińska. It
was not finally
published in
normal form
till 1954.
Lost;
mentioned in
a letter from
Julian
Fontana to
- Płótno Linen - ? ? - - [Link]/5 ?
Chopin's
sister Ludwika
Jędrzejewicz,
dated 2 July
1852
Jakież I. 22 August 1856, B. 39, G ded. Vaclav
- Which Flowers - -
kwiaty Maciejowski 1829 Warsaw [Link]/9 major Hanka
Lost; listed in
a letter from
Chopin's
Scottish pupil
- 3 songs ? ? ? - - [Link]/6-8 ? Jane Stirling
to Ludwika
Jędrzejewicz,
dated July
1852
Only the violin
- 4 songs ?
parts remain
Lost;
mentioned in
a letter from
Ludwika
- ? ? ? ? - - [Link]/10 ? Jędrzejewicz
to her brother
Chopin, dated
9 January
1841
Dumka na Song of the M [Link]. Doubtful
- - ? - - ?
Wygnaniu Exile Gosławski Ic/1 authenticity
Tam na There on the [Link]. Doubtful
- - ? ? - - ?
błoniu Green Ic/2 authenticity
The Third of S [Link]. Doubtful
- Trzeci maj - ? - - ?
May Starzeński Ic/3 authenticity
O wiem, że Oh, I know [Link]. Doubtful
- - Krasiński ? - - ?
Polska that Poland Ic/4 authenticity
Pytasz się, [Link]. Doubtful
- You Ask Why - Krasiński ? - - ?
czemu Ic/5 authenticity
Pieśni
Songs of a K [Link]. Doubtful
- pielgrzyma - ? - - ?
Polish Pilgrim Gaszyński Ic/6 authenticity
polskiego

References
1. Kornel Michałowski and Jim Samson. "Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek ([Link]
rove/music/51099)". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
2. Jim Samson ([Link]
3. Hyperion ([Link]
4. Music Web International ([Link]
5. Ramin Rezaei, Frederic Chopin's Chamber Music and Polish Songs ([Link]
15261/Rezaei_Ramin.pdf?sequence=1)

External links
 Polish Songs, Op.74 (Chopin, Frédéric): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
The Spirit of Poland ([Link]
n+Jim+Samson&source=bl&ots=0aNunYtQg9&sig=sY2H3m96pJXauQ3PHfr8dtm23Sc&hl=de&ei=fRUjTe2aJoe38gOl3sG6
BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false) in Jim Samson: The Music
of Chopin, pp 100, Oxford University Press 1985
"Frédéric François Chopin - 17 Polish Songs, Op.74" ([Link]
[Link].

Retrieved from "[Link]

This page was last edited on 23 February 2020, at 22:04 (UTC).

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